Review on Ottolenghi

Ottolenghi has been a godsend and an instant smash hit with Islington's arty crowd, this combination of deli, takeaway and café is as hip as they come, with its monochrome interior, bright halogen lights, farmhouse-chic communal tables and groovy furniture.

This is a set-up that really does deliver the goods fresh each day. Master baker Dan Leppard produces wondrous breads of every description, and his breakfast croissants are a dream. If pastries and cakes are your particular passion, satisfy the cravings with sensational passion fruit meringue tartlets, white chocolate and raspberry scones, malt and banana macaroons and more.

During the day, the kitchen wheels out a dazzling array of little dishes with lots of Mediterranean sunshine and Middle Eastern zing, plus a few orientals for good measure. Take your pick from courgette-wrapped lamb kebabs with green tahini; pan-fried sea bream with chermoula and preserved lemons; chicken tagine with artichokes; venison with mushrooms and herbs in puff pastry with cardamom sauce, or seared tuna with a nori crust, coriander and maple sauce. Then check out the desserts: roast peach with raspberries and warm Tokaji sabayon, for example.

The original branch of Ottolenghi is at 63 Ledbury Road, Notting Hill W11 and there are further outlets at 50 Artillery Lane, Spitalfields, E1 and 13 Motcomb Street, Belgravia SW1.

Virtual Tour of Ottolenghi

Ottolenghi

Latest Twitter Update

Local Gems in the area

Fifteen

Hoxton • North London

Jamie Oliver's first Fifteen moved into this old Hoxton warehouse in 2001 and it's been action all the way ever since.

Hix Oyster & Chop House

Farringdon • Central London

What better site for a flag-waving British restaurant than a converted sausage factory round the corner from Smithfield Market? That's exactly the spot veteran campaigner Mark Hix (formerly of Caprice Holdings) chose for his self-named and appetisingly titled Oyster & Chop House.

The interior is much as it was in the ol...

St John Bread & Wine

Spitalfields • East London

Start the day with soft roes on toast or pikelets with jam, enjoy an Eccles cake for elevenses, otherwise call in for lunch at St John Bread & Wine set in a converted bank building opposite Spitalfields Market.

The Mobile Food Guide

Guide to the best restaurants, pubs and brasseries across the UK and selected destinations around the World